29 Keys to getting a grip on your paper and information war

Robyn Pearce

1 Efficient systems come naturally for only a handful of people. Most people have to work at it, and many learn from someone else. Who can help you?2 No one can be fully efficient unless they have enough shelving and places to put things. What changes do you need?3 Don’t make two movements when one will do.4 Create an attractive environment that encourages productivity for everyone.5 Place your constantly used items within arm’s reach from your workstation. Your closest space is your most precious commodity.6 The things you use the least should be furthest away from where you’re sitting.7 Create flexible storage. The only certain thing in life is change. Tomorrow’s office and classroom needs will be different from today’s.8 As soon as you have more than one place to look for an item, time is wasted thinking and searching, not just by the original person but also by future users. 9 Clutter clogs creativity. 10 Put like with like.11 Wherever possible, stand materials up rather than lie them down.12 Drive your desk – or it drives you.13 Clean out clutter and you kill confusion.14 Do it fast, and do it now.15 Any time a task seems too big or too difficult, break it into small pieces and suddenly it becomes much easier. 16 You’ll never read everything that comes your way – the power is in being selective. What lists or subscriptions can you get off?17 Only read what’s relevant now. Throw out the old magazines you’ve been hoarding.18 Be a decision maker, not a procrastinator! Handle paper as little as possible.19 Pick an area to clean up, but if you’re not used to this, just focus on a small area.20 If you struggle with letting go of obsolete items, get a neat freak friend to work with you. Allow them to ask the tough questions such as “do you really need this?” and “when did you last use it?”21 A computer is only the electronic version of a physical filing cabinet – don’t be scared of re-arranging it!22 A cluttered Inbox is as stress-creating as a cluttered desk.23 Turn off your email alert on your computer, phone and tablets. You hardly ever need to instantly know you’ve got mail.24 Whenever you find yourself re-writing any information, turn it into a macro or template if it’s a big document.25 If the rewriting is in email, turn it into a Signature. (I wrote about this in Education Today Term 2 issue last year).26 Effective information management is a very important leadership function.27 85% of what we store is never looked at again. Do you really need that document?28 Storing information is knowledge management – expensive but necessary. Remember to consider the invisible costs. 29 Bad habits with archival and disaster management cause expense and inconvenience.